Workplace violence in the Emergency Department in Saudi Arabia: An inferential result

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is prevalent in the Emergency Department (ED) and the ED Healthcare workers at risk for workplace violence. Workplace violence has a negative impact on the psychological and the emotional well-being of the ED workers. Some ED healthcare workers who have been the victims of WPV report psychological and emotional reactions, such as anxiety, depression, sadness, negative stress and burnout.

Aim of the study: The aim of this study was to explore WPV among ED nurses and doctors in the KSA.

Method: A correlational quantitative cross sectional design was used to collect the data from six public hospitals in the KSA by utilizing anonymous self-administered questionnaire to capture the data. A total of 288 ED nurses and doctors completed the questionnaires. Analysis was done by using the SPSS.

I am a PhD candidate studying at Monash university. Right now, I am doing my PhD in Nursing as full time and fully sponsored by the Saudi government. I worked in the emergency department of two tertiary hospitals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for more than 8 years. Furthermore, I worked in different areas in the ED. Since I started doing my master, I focused on the management issues that prevent the ED nurses from providing their optimal care in the proper manner such as occupational stress and workplace violence. I believe that there is a chance for us as nurses to change the current situation by disseminating our research findings and that hope will change the current situation for a better one.